Turtle Doves

I think its a bit ironic that one of the concepts I recently wanted to work on in my painting was my relationship with line and now I'm surrounded by them as I learn about pipes. The main difference being that the world of plumbing lacks the obvious neon rainbow I usually surround myself with.

Its OK, there are bits and pieces found in the shop. For example, the pipe threading machine that I work on has been painted florescent green...there is another one that is red and light blue...I do enjoy using them, I was under the impression that I liked threading pipe but now that I think about it, there might be a catalyst at work here.

 Click here to learn something

 Yes, this happened. At one point it was level.


I have a mid term to study for but apperently posting on my blog is now included to the 'must do before I study' lists. Other items include doing all of my laundry and painting my nails. This starting a while ago when I was going to art school in Toronto. I think I was spending a lot of time drawing my hand, so I liked my nails to look nice as well. I also like to have them covered before I paint. Now they get covered in oil and my hands get pierced with metal shavings.

I printed off a copy of the periodic table and am trying to memorize it, I'm starting on the right, and I've done the first few rows. I'd write out the acronym I'm making up but its not for the faint of eyes.

I just found this, its cool if you like the same things as Lisa Simpson

Things are going well. A welder who bends and threads. Maybe.

Thank you sir, that's enough

Just some more pipe photos. Soldering copper and compression fittings.  We can hook up a water hose and test these little systems we make. I did get a bit wet. 

 We are marked on the measurements of the cuts of pipe, how everything looks, and how well it is put together. The goal is to NOT have any water leak out. 

 This is soldered. I misspelled it in the past posts. You use a little torch with one hand and a wire of solder in the other. You heat the pipe and the solder melts into the space between the fitting and the pipe. When you have something in each hand and one of them is a constant flame...it gets a bit interesting. 

This is using the same kind of pipe but with different fittings that you tighten with two wrenches.
We measure and cut each piece, and make the bends. I still need to take some time learning how to use a pipe bender..there are right bends and left bends I'm not sure how they are different other then just being opposite.

This is showing two ways to thread a pipe. By hand and by machine. The photo on the right, the tool is called a reamer.  I don't know if you are familiar with the term 'I'm going to ream you a new butt hole' but this gives it a whole new meaning.

This is a faster way to thread a pipe. It also cuts and reams. I love these photos. You must too, thanks for the all the views. Its probably more interesting in person, I'm tired and I am going to be at school tomorrow at 8 to do some welding.

Bunny Ears

Pretty funny for all the Scotts...

I'm learning how to solder and put copper pipes together. It is not nearly as exciting as welding. I want to weld but I have to use this little torch and with these little pipes. I feel like Super Mario..I'm not surprised why he left to go save the princess. Actually, I was never allowed to be Mario, my sister got to be him and I was stuck being Luigi.
That jar in the photo is flux (acid) I got it on my finger today, right by my nail where you get those little cuts. It will burn until you wash it off. I used the Gatorade I had left in the car and it seemed to work.  The morning in the classroom was actually my favorite part of the day. We were learning about atoms and compounds, stuff you learn on day one in any science class, it was nice to know all the answers...I didn't spend a number of summers in summer school for nothing. I better know what a compound is.  Thankfully I have an iphone and can express how cool I am by using my Periodic table app as a reference if needed. Did you know there are 118 elements at the present time? If you did its probably because you looked at the chart at the side.  If you only used your phone, click at the bottom of the blog where it says 'view web version' or something close to that.
That square you see in the photo of copper pipe, I made it and didn't have any leaks. So if you ever need a copper square made, you know who to call. Can I fix your toilet? No not yet, just the square. I can sweat the joints out but don't know when or why I would be doing so.
They have these little fake bathrooms set up for us to work it, but the tank is IN the wall. Think of how much space is saved, amazing.
It turns out that years of working with different canvas size and the time I spent working in a glass shop has made me an expert at estimating how many more or less inches are needed. This has come in handy cutting pipe just the right length or somehow keeping my welding rod 1/8 of an inch above the surface.  Tomorrow is B- tank review and more science.

Pendulum effect !

 How great is it to act out situations that you have read about in your text book?
 I give you - the pendulum effect. Please tie off everyone. And hope that they get you down in twenty
 minutes or so...
You think you are lookin' good? Have lost some weight? Strap yourself into one of these. The real test. A harness will bring to your attention and highlight....well...everything...Every little bulge will...no longer be little. Like it or not.

 

There is no freak in french fries

Well its still safety week in the classroom. We get fall arrest trained tomorrow and that will be it.  I'm good till about 1:30. Then I have a hard time sitting still and having to pay attention. Today I watched a video about a steam fitter who ended up with a 65% burn on his third day of work. He was 20, Sean George. I'm going to look him up and try to e-mail him. It was hard to listen to and watch but at least it was him giving the speech and not his parents like from the past safety videos I've been forced to watch.

This is the view from my seat. Second row. We had to make name tags. I think I did a pretty good job.

The teacher handed out photos of people at work and it was our job to make up a caption regarding the safety hazards in each. This was mine :

The pen in the photos is a pen I bought for my sister. It is from the Museum in Drumheller.  I got in the first time I visited that town. It has a dinosaur on it, I guess she doesn't like dinosaurs. It's a good pen...and its black. Most of them are blue....but you probably know that. I actually returned twice more to that little town. Its a nice place to stop for lunch and to take your photo by a huge dinosaur. Its just like the ones from that Pee -Wee Herman movie....oh Large Marge.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HzDaygiHM80

This is a page of me using my right hand. I'm left handed. By 2:00 this is what it comes down to. 
Don't worry, I can listen and draw at the same time. I can tell you a ton about the following subjects :

PPE (stuff to wear to keep safe)
scaffolding
trenches
hand tools
keeping a work place safe
how not to get shocked or electrocuted *very important (I now understand 'ground')
how to read that little green book
fall arrest
ladders
a ton of other things




cool photos

Been there, done that!

 Just a few shots of the coupons. I took a few of mine home with me. The ones that looked perfect.
 This week we are in the classroom doing safety. It's pretty hard for me to listen to all the fatal or near fatal incidents that could happen to me so I tend to eat or preoccupy myself with making a drawing so that I don't barf while listening to the million of ways I might accidentally end my precious life.

It was another day where I feel that the sum of my learning experiences have paid off. I'm so glad that I am not learning everything for the first time...I've done WHMIS, I've spilled acid on my leg, filled out the msds and called hazmat. I've talked to the calm voice on the other end with a heavy southern draw telling me to remove my pants. I've been to chemistry and learned that hydrochloric acid will burn your skin, and the shirt off your teachers back...And you would be surprised at the number of chemicals I read about that frequent beauty products and soaps.


It turns out that my dad isn't the only guy who likes to recall the many jobs hes had in life. My teacher sat back with a smile as he claimed how he had been on top of the world at the age of 16 with a job. Who needed school? He speaks softly and has trouble hearing..he has a hearing aid but he said its at home in drawer...also he once rode a wrecking ball and was probably one of the last people to do so... I was able to stay awake all day, only four more to go.

Because Tiggers are wonderful things

 Just kidding, I have photos!! Common' who do you think this is.

 Here are everyone's coupons getting all shiny and pretty for the test. Also, you have a better chance with the more imperfections you can grind out. As long as you keep it flush.

Malibu Stacey

 I have this week off so I don't have any photos to post at the moment. The inspector was in this morning and so I had to call in after 1:00 to ask my teacher how I did on my tests. As if waiting wasn't stressful enough I had to make this call. It turned out alright, I passed 3 out of 4 of my tests. I passed both stick (flat and horizontal) and my flat flux. I might have a chance to re-test soon so it will be alright. I am super happy about getting these three, I really had no idea what the outcome was going to be. I have confidence but I also realize the disconnect in the relationship between hands to tools to material.
Thanks for the support and please keep reading!

This wrench is for Ron. Ya know, laterRON

Sorry for the hiatus but I didn't want to talk about my tests in case I fail them, but the process is quite lengthy.

[n. pl. hi·a·tus·es or hiatus 1. A gap or interruption in space, time, or continuity; a break]
...pun or happy accident?

It involves an Inspector who over looks your first passes on each plate, milling off the backs of the plates, cutting them, sanding them and then having the inspector back to put them in the bend machine and either pass or FAIL them. I did four tests, = four plates. Each place is cut into three and all three must be ok to pass that test. I believe you are allowed a mark 1/8th of an inch in size, I think anything bigger then that would result in a total crack anyhow. I have to grind them, coupons, the pieces are called coupons. (not the newspaper kind...good thing I didn't ask the question out loud and just figured it out)  and if the welding wasn't enough stress in the first place, the grinding seems to be. At least I've stopped calling it sanding....
So each piece has a special stamp on it and if you grind if off you FAIL. That is why you will see tape on my coupons. I find it hard to tell what exact spot is actually being touched by the grinder in the first place. The goal is to grind the piece flat. If you go below flush, you FAIL. If you leave any marks you FAIL. As you do this, any imperfection comes up and rips your heart out. Unfortunately doing this with your eyes shut is not an option.
4 plates = 12 coupons, I finished today, now we wait for the Inspector.

John the Baptist

This week we did a practice bend test. We fill in a grove, then its cut in three and the back is milled off. Then its put in this machine that bends each piece. The part that I welded is the middle of the arch. If I messed up by leaving a piece of slag in it, or somehow missed a spot, it will crack or break. You might wonder how you would miss a spot while melting metal, its pretty crazy. Air can get trapped.... a ton of crazy shit can take place if your not careful. Then you FAIL. All three of mine were good, but I did a flat plate, the harder of the two I will be tested on is the horizontal, but my heart wouldn't of been able to handle the break. 
I went into the shop this morning for a bit of extra time. There was an instructor who was quite nice, he spoke with an accent, reminded me of Rod Stewart but looked more like my dad. As he was speaking to me I burst out laughing for no apparent reason. He asked me what was so funny but I didn't really have an answer for him.

Horziontal Poka

I made this. 'This' consists of a square tunnel shaped piece of something that I mig welded onto a piece of test plate. I brought it back to my booth and then tried to arc weld it further, but for some reason the tunnel piece melted away. Do you remember when you were little and you would just get obsessed with a pair of scissors and want to cut everything you saw? That is what mig welding is like. Its so quick you just want to mig everything in sight.

 Today an hour before class was over, I finally obtained the results I had been looking for the last three days. Now I will be able to sleep at night, that is until I learn something else. I got %80 on my multiple choice test today, good thing I'm a nerd and studied a ton on the weekend because I didn't look at my notes today or yesterday.

After about welding two beads, this gets really hot. Because of that, it starts to loosen. I try to fix it before it falls and almost burn my hands, and then sometimes it crashes to the floor anyways, and its way to hot to touch to pick up so I just stand there looking at it.
I think I was given a wrench or something but I don't yet keep it with me. My gloves are thick, so much that my pinky finger on my left hand is becoming a bit deformed sticking outwards and is a bit sore. There are thinner gloves but already when I touch something, the leather slowly heats up like an over and just when you think its going to stop it gets hotter.